One Boise State legend makes College Football Hall of Fame. Another misses out

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — Former Boise State football coach Chris Petersen was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame on Wednesday afternoon as part of the Class of 2026.

Petersen was one of nine FBS coaches on the 2026 ballot, which also included 79 FBS players.

Among those players was former Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore, but he missed the cut for the fifth straight year after becoming eligible in 2022.

Petersen was one of four coaches voted into the Hall, alongside Jim Margraff (John Hopkins, 1990-2018), Gary Patterson (TCU, 2000-’21) and Ken Sparks (Carson-Newman University, 1980-2016).

“I really, truly don’t think this award is about me,” Petersen told the Idaho Statesman in a phone interview. “It’s about us, and the people that I’ve come in contact with throughout my journey as a coach.”

Petersen coached at Boise State from 2006 to 2013 and is the winningest coach in program history, with a 92-12 (88.5%) record. He won two Fiesta Bowls with the Broncos, becoming the first coach at a non-automatic-qualifier school to win two BCS games.

He was Moore’s head coach from 2007 to 2011 as the pair led Boise State through the most successful period in program history, including an undefeated season in 2009. Petersen also enjoyed an undefeated season in 2006.

Petersen won the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award in both of those undefeated seasons.

“I think it’s what Boise State gave me,” Petersen said when asked what he thinks it means for the school to have a Hall of Fame coach. “It was just such a great platform, and everything lined up just right from the fan engagement and support that we had from that community, and the right administration being there, when I was there, that really wanted to win, and do big things.”

Petersen went on to say his success at Boise State began with Dirk Koetter, who coached the Broncos from 1998 to 2000 during the program’s early years at the Football Bowl Subdivision level. He also thanked former Boise State head coach Dan Hawkins, who employed Petersen as offensive coordinator from 2001 to 2005.

“All the people around there just kept creating this great momentum, and we kept building on it,” Petersen said.

Following his time at Boise State, Petersen coached the Washington Huskies from 2014 to 2019, guiding them to two Pac-12 titles and a berth in the 2016 College Football Playoff. He retired after the 2019 season, which coincidentally ended with a 38-7 win over the Broncos in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Petersen, who was inducted into the Boise State Hall of Fame in November, is the second Boise State-affiliated person elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. He joins Randy Trautman, a Caldwell native who walked on as a defensive tackle in 1978 and is the only Bronco to earn four first-team All-American awards. Trautman was inducted into the Boise State Hall in 1990 and the College Hall in 1999.